Myra DuBois: Self AdMyra

Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, New Road, Thursday, October 22

AFTER years on the UK’s pub and club circuit, Myra DuBois has seen an upturn in her fortunes following a John Bishop show appearance and a ringing celebrity endorsement.

Her appearance on the BBC TV comedy showcase in July saw DuBois lead an audience singalong of the classic Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson duet I Know Him So Well. Afterwards its co-writer Tim Rice took to Twitter to describe it as the definitive version.

“It’s nice to get an endorsement from a somebody rather than a legion of nobodies,” says DuBois. “Somebody on television was looking in my direction for even a couple of seconds.

“The people who made The John Bishop Show were already big supporters – they pushed very hard to have me on there. It was a wonderful experience – I’m enjoying that some people who wouldn’t book me for certain venues now will.”

Self AdMyra will be DuBois’s first appearance at the Brighton Comedy Festival, and the first time out for her new show, which she performed as a work in progress at the Leicester Square Theatre last month.

“There’s an awful lot of pressure to deliver a show about something,” she says. “Everyone is doing shows about their relationship with their father, or their dead hamster – these concept shows.

“My shows are about coming to spend an hour with me – it doesn’t need a theme, it just needs me. I’m talking about whatever grabs my attention.

“They asked me about a title about six months before I even knew what the show was about. It means I can now be as introspective and selfish as I want!”

Describing her audience as “usually elderly and homosexual” DuBois has previously tackled the world of children’s entertainment as the acidic Auntie Myra, and is a regular alternative panto star, having recently moved from playing the villain to the dame in Alezzin this Christmas.

“I’ve worked in the pubs and clubs for years and years,” she says. “I’ve had training you couldn’t get at a drama school.”

Hailing from Rotherham she tends to keep her origins quiet today.

“It used to be people would introduce me saying: ‘She’s come all the way from Rochdale’ and I would get angry and say ‘I’m from Rotherham’,” she says.

“Now I say I’m from Rochdale.

“Before no-one had ever heard of Rotherham for good reason, but now we’ve had the BNP chairman standing for Parliament and the child abuse allegations. Jamie Oliver identified it as the most obese town in the UK.

“I’ve been very fond of Rotherham, but I don’t live there – like The Beatles and Cilla didn’t live in Liverpool.”

Although it is unlikely with her acerbic form of humour she admits she would never want to move into the big arena leagues.

“My act has always been a conversation,” she says. “Somebody asked me if I had ever been heckled – I encourage them to talk to me. You don’t get that in an arena show. With an audience that large you’re not able to work with them – I would be on autopilot.

“I want to be able to live in the moment.”

She feels there is a new theatrical movement in comedy following the flood of observational comics.

“There seems to be a stylistic shift,” she says, pointing to the fact comedy magician Piff The Magic Dragon made it to the finals of America’s Got Talent.

“There was a cabaret boom in 2007 – now it’s starting to appeal to the mainstream.”

Starts 9.30pm, tickets £13/£11. Call 01273 709709.